


Taking of a Toast

by tryxchange



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), The Mummy Series
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship, POV Phryne Fisher, Post-Canon, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23780524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryxchange/pseuds/tryxchange
Summary: Phryne runs into an old acquaintance in an unexpected place.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	Taking of a Toast

"Good Lord, Phryne Fisher, I never would have expected to find you here."

The speaker of this astonishing sentence was a slight, somewhat short British fellow of what Aunt Prudence would have called "good breeding." There was something familiar about him, but Phryne couldn't quite place it. 

He, on the other hand, was evidently very familiar with her, sliding carelessly into the spindle chair next to her in the rather good Cafe Poisson which belied its name by serving only desserts and excellent coffee. Egypt entirely eclipsed Australia in the coffee department, and Phryne intended to have several large bags of beans shipped back to Mr. Butler when she returned. In the mean time, there was Cafe Poisson, and this distractingly familiar man.

"How long has it been, love? Was it '16? Earlier maybe. '15? God it's been an age. How are you, old girl?"

And with that she remembered him. "Jonathan Carnahan," she said warmly, setting down her coffee. "You're looking well."

He was, in a way. He'd lost some hair on the top, and like all of them had the slightly spooked look about the eyes that never quite went away. But he had life in him, certainly more so than the earnest young footballer she remembered from the early days of the war.

"Me?" He scoffed, then decided to used his flailing hand to flag down one of the waiters. "Coffee," he said, in accentless Egyptian. Turning back to her, he cast an appreciative eye head to toe. "What about you? You've come up in the world or I miss my guess."

"You know how it is," Phryne returned, watching him closely over the rim of her glass cup. "All the bright young men in a family die in the war, someone must inherit."

Instead of flinching or growing uncomfortable, Jonathan laughed heartily. He thanked the waiter--and really, his accent was very good--and lifted his own glass. "To war, then, my dear, and to never seeing it again."

They drank.


End file.
